Philadelphia Eagles Could Become Next "Greatest Show on Turf"

By Danny Williams

Howard Smith-USA TODAY Sports

In Chip Kelly‘s first season as head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles he successfully implemented his fast-paced, spread offense which he made famous at the University of Oregon. Kelly’s Eagles possessed the second-ranked offense in the league behind only the Denver Broncos who had an amazing season with Peyton Manning at the helm.

With Manning being 37-years-old and not getting any younger, the Eagles could overtake the Broncos as the best offense in the NFL in 2014 if Nick Foles continues to play at a Pro Bowl level and Philadelphia retains a couple of key free agents.

If the Eagles manage to re-sign wide receivers Riley Cooper and Jeremy Maclin they might be set up to become the next “Greatest Show on Turf.” Maclin, who has yet to play in Kelly’s offense after spending last season on IR, was one of the NFL’s most dynamic playmakers in his first four years before tearing his ACL in the summer of 2013. Maclin caught 26 touchdowns in his first four seasons.

The combination of Maclin and DeSean Jackson was difficult to deal with, but if you throw in a newly emerged Riley Cooper you have one of the NFL’s best trios of receivers who all complement each other nicely.

Not to mention the Eagles owned the top-ranked rushing attack in the league in 2013 with one of the most explosive backs in LeSean McCoy. McCoy led the league in rushing and yards from scrimmage in 2013, and he is often compared to Barry Sanders for his elusiveness. He may not be on that level, but the kid is special.

McCoy’s running will put pressure on defenses to stop him, and that’s when Foles will hit his speedy receivers down the field out of that Chip Kelly spread offense. This offense has potential to put up huge numbers.

The Eagles have a young, unproven quarterback with a running back who led the league in yards from scrimmage the previous season, much like the St. Louis Rams in 1999 when the “Greatest Show on Turf” was born. The Eagles, under the guidance of Chip Kelly, could resurrect this title or be labeled with a new nickname when they become the league’s next greatest offense.